Final countdown begins for Leaving and Junior Cert exams

THE final countdown is on for almost 119,000 exam students who begin the Leaving and Junior Certificate exams tomorrow morning.

After weeks, months and years of preparation, most candidates will turn over their English papers in 4,600 sports halls, classrooms and other exam centres at 9.30am.

For the first time, around 600 students whose first language is not Irish or English will be allowed to use dictionaries in certain examinations.